I have visited 3 cornish national trust properties in the last week, Lanhydrock, Trerice and Glendurgan, all lovely in their own way and all hosting easter egg hunts for kids so we now have a enviable collection of 6 large Cadbury eggs. It got me thinking when looking around the houses about whether I would of preferred upstairs or downstairs living? Whilst upstairs is grand and opulent it does seem a little bit dull but down below the huge copper pans, salmon moulds, brushes for everything, and dark lead sinks get my vote every time.

The allotment looks very ordered at the moment, the spuds are in and earthed up, and the first seed bed is done and warming up in the sun. Next job is to get those sweet peas in and sort out the herb bed. …READ MORE…

I was very excited to see today these wild garlic leaves emerging from a shady spot by the compost bins. Last spring I foraged a few plants from the side of lanes where it grows in abundance and transplanted them to the allotment. I adore the smell of wild garlic and the balls of tiny white flowers are so pretty and delicious to eat. …READ MORE…

The first signs of the rhubarb waking up is here! It seems a bit mean but the best way is to find something tall and dark to start forcing it to grow sweetly and quickly. A makeshift lid means that progress can easily be checked, of course I do this at night with candlelight! …READ MORE…